Thursday, October 04, 2007

What?!?

Three posts in two days? What the heck is going on? You know what - it's all the great comments I've been getting that have got me reinspired. I know I really don't deserve ANY comments at all since I'm absolutely dreadful about commenting back, but I really appreciate each and every one (and it's good to know that people are actually reading what I write - it definitely motivates me).

Today I'm writing because the new Holiday Gifts issue just came out. You can see the preview here (and scroll down to see the Sweetheart Socks if you want to know why this is a big deal for me). Not only that, but when I went to Twisted last night to teach, I got to see the hard-copy issue and not only are the socks in there, but the scarf I designed for Classic Elite is on the back cover! The pink cable-and-lace Lush scarf? That's mine! That was a nice surprise. The other nice thing about the new magazine coming out is that I know I'll soon be getting my designer's copy in the mail along with a check (even though I did the design work about six months ago, we don't get paid until the issue comes out).

This helps to make up for the fact that the sweaters I'm trying to design for the January TNNA aren't cooperating. I was using the Craft Yarn Council sizing standards, adding in standard ease (since I hate things that are too tight), and they're turning out way too big. I'd be curious to know what you all think of their measurements and whether they seem too big or just right to you... Another sample that I just seamed together is waaaay too low in the neck - I wasn't intending for it to require something to be worn underneath it but the way it's falling right now, it would definitely need something to avoid showing off the sternum like a Hollywood starlet at the Oscars... Sigh...back to the drawing board! The good news is that the lace tunic that I seamed together last night is perfect. One out of four ain't bad, eh?

It's a constant learning process and one of the most important things about being a designer is learning not to fear ripping. More often than not, things just don't work out right the first time. Or the second. Sometimes things don't ever work out until drastic changes are made. Sometimes the yarn just won't cooperate, but another yarn works fabulously for what I have in mind. These are all things I'm continuing to explore and discover, and the more I learn the more I realize I don't know!

Gosh I've gotten philosophical lately. On a totally unrelated note, we got three eggs yesterday. That means our late layer has finally gotten busy! Yahoo! Needless to say, we had omelets for dinner. Yum!

6 Comments:

Congrats on the socks, Chrissy. I am waiting anxiously for the winter issue preview to go up (I have my first IK pattern in it - hopefully!).

Re: CYC standards. I do find them too large. Especially in the shoulder width (cross back) measurement. I usually take off at least 1 inch from this measurement for the smaller 32"-40" sizes.

I do find myself ripping and redoing a lot of things. For my winter IK sweater, I think I reknit the sleeves 3 times! It's especially irritating when the yarn you're working with is very delicate and ripping it makes it look like crap.

First let me say I love your patterns. I picked up the Autumn in Oregon sock pattern at OFFF, then yesterday bought the IK Holiday issue. Love the Sweetheart socks. I just found your blog by doing a search to see what other patterns you have and then I find out that the scarf on the back of the IK Holiday issue is your's too and that you are right here in Portland! Hopefully we'll meet up somewhere around town. Keep those wonderful patterns coming!

There's no rationale given for the large cross-back measurements (except for the possibility that they do not mean shoulder point to shoulder point, but rather the distance between the exteriors of the arms at shoulder level), and while back length increases for standard sizes, because it is assumed that a larger size is slightly taller than a smaller size, I suspect they've added too much.

In short, I'd ignore them, and only take them up in the spirit in which they were given, which is to say, try to emulate the expanded size range they cover, and possibly use their bust measurements. But I would take the rest of the measurements with a big grain of salt and rely on other sources for measurements. Heck, I'd probably take dimensions from a home sewing pattern before I'd use the CYC measurements.

About Me

Welcome to the wild & wooly world of knitwear designer Chrissy Gardiner. I'm a mom of two who spends as much time as possible knitting and designing knitting patterns. I have been published in various books and magazines as well as printing my own pattern line, Gardiner Yarn Works. I published my first book, Toe-Up!, in the summer of 2009. It's about socks, of course!